Mobile turf infill reclamation system

ABSTRACT

A mobile infill reclamation system comprising a mobile platform configured to be readily moved from a first location to a second location in relatively close proximity to an existing synthetic turf surface, a support structure mounted on the mobile platform, multiple processing components supported by the support structure and configured and arranged to process used infill material from the existing synthetic turf surface, an infill intake supported by the support structure and configured and arranged to receive the used infill material, and an infill output supported by the support structure and configured and arranged to discharge infill material processed by the processing components.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/508,432, filed Jul. 15, 2011. The entire content ofsuch application is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of artificial turf,and more particularly to an improved mobile turf infill reclamationsystem.

BACKGROUND ART

Synthetic turf has been installed for decades as the playing surface forsports fields, including football, baseball and soccer fields. Morerecently, it has been used as an alternative to natural grass atplaygrounds and residential homes and commercial buildings. Syntheticturf today generally comprises upstanding fibers or ribbons extendingfrom a backing. The upstanding fibers resemble grass and the backingholds the fibers in place. In most modern synthetic turf systems, aninfill is disposed between the upstanding fibers. The infill can includesand, rubber and/or other particles, depending on the performancecharacteristics desired.

In 1998 there were about 80 synthetic turf sports fields installed inthe United States. By 2008, that number had risen to over 1,200. Butsynthetic turf has a limited useful life. For example, synthetic turfsports fields have a typical lifespan of from about 8 to about 12 years.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With parenthetical reference to corresponding parts, portions orsurfaces of the disclosed embodiment, merely for the purposes ofillustration and not by way of limitation, the present inventionprovides a mobile infill reclamation system (15) comprising a mobileplatform (16) configured to be readily moved from a first location to asecond location in relatively close proximity to an existing syntheticturf surface, a support structure (18) mounted on the mobile platform,multiple processing components (23-26, 28-31) supported by the supportstructure and configured and arranged to process used infill materialfrom the existing synthetic turf surface, an infill intake (22)supported by the support structure and configured and arranged toreceive the used infill material, and an infill output (33) supported bythe support structure and configured and arranged to discharge infillmaterial processed by the processing components.

The mobile platform may be selected from a group consisting of atrailer, a truck chassis, a railway car and a detachable pod. Thesupport structure may comprise a vibration dampening platform (30)and/or vibration dampening decking (40). The support structure maycomprise vertically and horizontally extending framing (37, 38). Thesupport structure may comprise fasteners having vibration dampeningfittings. The support structure may comprise a processing chamber (58)defined by a front wall, side walls and a roof on the mobile platformand the processing components may be housed in the chamber. The supportstructure may comprise a power chamber (21) separated from theprocessing chamber by a fire wall (36).

At least one of the multiple processing components may be selected froma group consisting of a debris remover configured and arranged toseparate foreign debris from the used infill material (33), a componentseparator configured and arranged to separate different components ofthe used infill material (23, 24), a screening device configured andarranged to separate a component of the used infill material by size(25), a component size screener configured and arranged to analyze sizedistribution of a component of the used infill (26), an augmentationdevice configured and arranged to add a desired infill component to theused infill material (28), a mixing device configured and arranged toproviding a desired infill component mix (29), a rinsing deviceconfigured and arranged to treat the infill material (30), and a dryerconfigured and arranged to dry the infill material (31). The used infillmaterial components may comprise rubber and sand. The componentseparator may be configured and arranged to separate the rubber and thesand based on size (23) and based on weight (24). The augmentationdevice may be configured and arranged to introduce new rubber to reach adesired rubber particle size distribution and to introduce new sand toreach a desired sand particle size distribution. The mixing device maybe configured and arranged to mix sand and rubber components in amountsto reach a desired sand and rubber component ratio by weight.

The infill intake may comprise a pneumatic vacuum (41) and an intakereceptacle (42). The infill output may comprise an automated baggingunit. The mobile infill reclamations system may further comprise a powersource supported by the support structure on the mobile platform andconnected to the processing components (21). The power source may be adiesel powered electric generator (48). The power source may comprise abattery and a solar panel (49). The mobile infill reclamations systemmay further comprise a ventilation system supported by the supportstructure (20). The ventilation system may comprise an air circulator(43) connected via a conduit (44) to at least one ventilation hood (45)proximate to at least one of the processing components. The mobileinfill reclamation system may further comprise a conveyance systemsupported by the support structure and configured and arranged to conveythe used infill material from the intake to the output via theprocessing components (19). The conveyance system may comprise aconveyor belt, a chute, a vacuum tube or an auger.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of recycling infillcomprising the steps of identifying an existing artificial turf surfacehaving an infill, moving a mobile infill reclamation system to aposition in relatively close proximity to the existing artificial turfsurface (60), removing the infill from the artificial turf surface (61),conveying the removed infill to the mobile infill reclamation system(62), and processing the removed infill using the mobile infillreclamation system (63-70).

The step of processing the removed infill using the mobile infillreclamation system may comprise the steps of separating foreign debrisfrom the removed infill (63), separating a component of the removedinfill material by size (65), adding a desired infill component to theremoved infill material (67), rinsing the removed infill material (69),and drying the removed infill material (70). The step of processing theremoved infill using the mobile infill reclamation system may furthercomprise the steps of separating different components of the used infillmaterial (63, 64), and mixing different components of the infillmaterial to a desired infill component ratio (68). The method mayfurther comprise the step of discharging the processed infill materialfrom the mobile infill reclamation system (80). The processed infillmaterial may be discharged into a super sack or wagon. The method mayfurther comprise the step of applying the processed infill material tothe artificial turf surface (81).

One object of the invention is to provide a mobile infill reclamationsystem that can be readily moved from location to location in order toprocess for reuse used infill in relatively close proximity to thelocation of the synthetic turf from which the infill was removed.Another object is to provide a method of processing infill from anexisting artificial turf system for reuse. These and other objects andadvantages will become apparent from the foregoing and ongoing writtenspecification, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial right side cutaway perspective view of an embodimentof the mobile infill reclamation system.

FIG. 2 is a partial left side perspective cutaway view of the systemshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a processing schematic plan view of the system shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a floor plan of the system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional view of the system shownin FIG. 1, taken generally at the longitudinal centerline of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view of the systemshown in FIG. 1, taken generally at the transverse centerline of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the support system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of conveyance equipment for the systemshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of the ventilation system shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the power source shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the intake device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the course infill separation and debrisremoval mechanism shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the secondary infill separation anddebris removal mechanism shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the refined sand and rubber separatorshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the dual sand and rubber sieve sizescreener shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the sand and rubber augmentationhoppers shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the sand and rubber mixer shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the rinse mechanism shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the dryer shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the discharge mechanism shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing the method of processing used infillusing the system shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

At the outset, it should be clearly understood that like referencenumerals are intended to identify the same structural elements, portionsor surfaces consistently throughout the several drawing figures, as suchelements, portions or surfaces may be further described or explained bythe entire written specification, of which this detailed description isan integral part. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intendedto be read (e.g., cross-hatching, arrangement of parts, proportion,degree, etc.) together with the specification, and are to be considereda portion of the entire written description of this invention. As usedin the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”,“left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbialderivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”,etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure asthe particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms“inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of asurface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, asappropriate.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof,this invention provides a mobile infill reclamation system, of which thepresently preferred embodiment is generally indicated at 15. As shown inFIGS. 1-10, system 15 generally includes mobile trailer 16, which isconfigured to be readily pulled from site to site by a truck or tractor,infill intake 22, multiple components 23-26 and 28-31 for processinginfill from an existing synthetic surface for reuse, processed infilloutput 33, support structure 18 mounted on trailer 16, which isconfigured to at least in part support the infill processing components,conveyance systems 19 for conveying infill material from intake throughthe processing components to output, ventilation system 20 and powerfacility 21.

In this embodiment, trailer 16 is a conventional trailer aboutfifty-five feet long and about ten feet wide. Trailer 16 has multiplewheels 17 and connects to a conventional truck or tractor so it can beeasily hauled from location to location on existing road systems. Whiletrailer 16 is used in this embodiment, alternative mobile platforms maybe employed, such as for example a rail car, a truck chassis, or adetachable container or pod. Trailer 16 may therefore be moved so thatit is in close proximity to existing artificial turf surfaces, such asplaying fields.

Trailer 16 includes a conventional outer shell (not shown) formed of afront wall, a left side wall having power chamber access door 35 c andprocessing chamber swing doors 35 a, a right side wall, and rearswinging doors 35 b. A detachable ramp 53 may be used to accessprocessing chamber 50 through doors 35 a. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and4-9, support structure 18 also includes a number of vertical struts 37welded to the deck and ceiling as well as horizontally extending bracing38 between the struts and the sides and ends of trailer 16. Supportstructure 18 includes high density vibration resistant decking 40, ofvariable thickness, that extends across the top of the floor of trailer16. Also included are individualized dampening platforms 39 fastened tothe deck and attached to the frame for each of the different processingcomponents. Fasteners with vibration dampening fittings are employed insupport structure 18. Thus, support structure 18 includes speciallyconfigured racks for holding processing components and shock absorbersfor retaining the various processing components in proper position.Significant features are used to reduce vibration for both transport andoperation of the processing equipment.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, 6, 7, 9 and 10, power supply chamber 21 isprovided at the front of trailer 16 and is separated from the processingequipment by firewall 36. Power supply chamber 21 houses electricgenerator 47, which is connected to and powers the processing equipmentlocated in processing chamber 50 on the opposite side of fire wall 36.Diesel generator 47 is exhausted through the roof of trailer 16. As asupplemental power source, battery 54 in chamber 21 and connected solarpanels 49 on the roof of trailer 16 may be provided to augment powersupply for the processing components. Battery 54 may be charged fromother sources such as a turbine or the power grid and used to power theprocessing equipment.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 9, ventilation system 20 is supported bysupport structure 18 to ventilate processing chamber 50. Dust andexhaust generated by the processing equipment is collected byventilation hoods 45 positioned above the subject processing equipmentand exhausted through ventilation chase 44 and exhaust ports 46 in theroof of trailer 16. Dust collection device 43, located in power chamber21 and connected to chase 44, draws air from processing chamber 50through hoods 45 and collects any remaining dust or particulates. Thus,dust collection device 43, via ventilation chase 44 and ventilationhoods 45 positioned above the subject processing equipment, collects, byvacuum, dust and other fine particles generated by the processing of theinfill.

Mobile system 15 is first moved 60 on existing roadways to a location inrelatively close proximity to the existing synthetic turf surface fromwhich infill is to be removed and recycled, such as an existingsynthetic turf playing field being replaced. Mobile system 15 ispreferably positioned within five miles of the existing synthetic turffield being replaced, and more preferably is positioned adjacent or nearenough to the existing synthetic turf field being replaced so thatinfill does not need to be trucked a significant distance on publicroadways between the turf field and mobile system 15.

Infill from the existing synthetic turf field is removed 61 withconventional equipment that brushes, agitates and/or vacuums the infillup from between the synthetic fibers of the existing synthetic turfplaying field. The infill is removed from the field and conveyed into awagon, which is towed beside the removal equipment. This used infill istypically polluted with foreign debris, such as fibers, dirt, paint,pins, wrappers, band-aids, glass and other items. Once placed in theremoval trailer, the infill is transported a relatively short distanceto mobile system 15. The “Eliminator” infill removal machinemanufactured by Redexim Charterhouse may be used in this process. Suchequipment removes the infill from the synthetic turf with a softrotating brush that lifts the material to a conveyer belt system andwagon driven alongside the machine.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the infill processing equipmentshowing the placement of such equipment in trailer 16. As shown in FIGS.3 and 21, the first step in the processing system is infill loading 62.Once the infill is reclaimed from the field, it is transported to therear of mobile system 15. Rear doors 35 b are opened and the used infillis vacuumed up pneumatically with intake 22. As shown in FIG. 11, intake22 includes hose 41, which is extendable to the wagon filled with usedinfill. The used infill is pneumatically conveyed up through hose 41into storage silo 42. Storage silo 42 in turn feeds course particulateseparator 23 at a desired delivery rate. While a pneumatic intake isshown and described, other options, such as an external intake containerand a bottom-fed mechanical screw driven conveyor or auger to thestorage silo, may be employed.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the second step in the process is to beginto separate the used infill into its component parts and to extractforeign material from the used infill 63. If the used infill was a twocomponent infill, such as a mix of sand and rubber, this second stepbegins the process of separating the infill into those two componentparts. In this regard, the rubber particles are typically larger andlighter than the sand particles. The used infill is run through screenseparator 23, shown in FIG. 12. Screen separator 23 has a single streaminput from intake 22 and has generally three outputs based on screensize, namely a primarily rubber output, a primarily sand output and aforeign debris output. The primary function of screen separator 23 is toseparate the infill into its component parts, typically sand and rubber.As a secondary function, separator 23 removes a limited amounted offoreign material. Screen separator 23 has multiple levels ofincreasingly finer inclined screens and shakes the used infill throughthe screens. Typically the foreign material is larger than sand andrubber and is caught in the larger sized top screen, where it is outputdown a chute to containment structure or receptacle 51. The rubber istypically caught at the next level and the sand will typically fallthrough to the bottom. The middle level is directed to a rubber outputand the bottom fines are directed to a sand output. A modified Model8400-60 Forsberg screen separator may be employed in this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the third step in the process is to completethe separation of the infill into its component parts and removal offoreign material or debris 64. The rubber output from coarse separator23 is run through pressure type destoner 24 a, shown in FIG. 13, tocomplete separation of the infill into its component parts and to removeand recover all foreign material or debris. In a parallel stream, thesand output from coarse separator 23 is run through parallel pressuretype destoner 24 b. With this equipment, the respective streams of usedinfill are conveyed over an inclined, vibrating, screen-covered deckwith a steady airflow to hold the infill material in stratifiedflotation. The lighter rubber stays in the upper strata as it flows downthe inclined deck and the heavier sand travels up the inclined deck. Atthe top of the deck of destoner 24 a, the heavier foreign material anddebris is caught in a screen and removed pneumatically to containment51. The remaining sand is directed to a sand output. The rubber at thebottom of destoner 24 a is directed to a rubber output. At the top ofthe deck of destoner 24 b, the heavier foreign material and debris iscaught in a screen and removed pneumatically to containment 51. Theremaining sands is directed to the sand output, where is mixes with thesand from the top of destoner 24 a. The rubber at the bottom of destoner24 b is directed to the rubber output, where it mixes with the rubberfrom the bottom of destoner 24 a. Thus, the initially separated sandinfill enters a process to remove any remaining rubber and the initiallyseparated rubber infill enters a process to remove any remaining sand,and any additional foreign debris is removed by vacuum. The foreignmaterial is collected in containment 51 and removed through doors 35 b.A modified Model 7-G Forsberg pressure destoner may be used in thisembodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the fourth step is to separate out anyinfill components that are too small for the desired infill particledistribution 65. Sand and rubber can degrade or break down in size overtime. Thus, the used infill may have sand and rubber particles of anundesirable small size that need to be separated and removed. Using siloscreen 25 a, shown in FIG. 14, the sand output from destoners 24 a and24 b is run through silo screen 25 a and is separated in size to adesired minimum size. The sand falling though and not meeting theminimum size is removed. The remaining sand is directed to a sandoutput. Similarly, using silo screen 25 b, the rubber output fromdestoners 24 a and 24 b is run through silo screen 25 b and is separatedin size to a desired minimum size. The rubber falling though and notmeeting the minimum size is removed. The remaining rubber is directed toa rubber output. For example, if an infill having a 20-40 sand mesh sizedistribution is desired, a 40 mesh sieve is provided at the bottom ofsilo 24 a and any sand particles falling through it are removed.Similarly, if an infill having a 10-20 rubber mesh size distribution isdesired, a 20 mesh sieve is provided at the bottom of silo 24 b and anyrubber particles falling through it are removed. The removed materialsmay be conveyed to containment 51.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the fifth step is to analyze the particlesize distribution of the used infill 66. Using inertia screeningseparator 26, shown in FIG. 26, the components of the used infill areseparated by sieve size to analyze their distribution. Thus, sand fromthe sand output of silo 25 a and rubber from the rubber output of silo25 b are separated by size to determine their respective sizedistributions. Separator 26 is a dual track analyzer, so sand from silo25 a is run through the first track and rubber from silo 25 b is runthrough the second track. A screening motion helps to provide a constantproduct contact with the screening surface to thereby maximize exposureto the screen aperture. The separator may have a cushion mountsuspension system, a straight-line reciprocating motion, a self-cleaningscreen, quick-change screens and may be formed from stainless steel. Amodified Forsberg Inertia Screen Separator may be used in thisembodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the sixth step is to recalibrate the infillto the desired sieve size distribution 67. Once the existing rubber andsand of the used infill has been analyzed and its sieve sizedistribution determined, new sand and/or rubber may be introduced fromwall mounted material hoppers 28 a and 28 b, respectively, to insure thefinal sieve size of the processed infill meets the performance criteriaand characteristics of the desired new or refurbished field. In thisregard, many artificial turf systems attempt to achieve a 20-40 meshsize distribution of sand and a 10-20 mesh size distribution of rubber.To recalibrate to this distribution typically requires adding new rubberand sand particles on the larger side of the range. Sand and rubberhoppers 28 a and 28 b, respectively, are typically filled with particlesizes on the higher end of the desired range and are used to augment theinfill to the desired distribution. Hoppers 28 a and 28 b are adapted tobe mounted with automatic feeders to the sand and rubber processingstreams, respectively. Also, the right side wall of trailer 16 may beprovided with specially configured input ports or an access panelthrough which new infill components may be easily fed to hoppers 28 aand 28 b.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the seventh step is to mix the infill to thedesired component ratio 68. In addition to meeting the desired particlerange and distribution of sand and rubber, the desired sand and rubberpercentage mix by weight is provided with mixer 29, shown in FIG. 17.For example, in the case of a sand and rubber mixed infill, it may bedesirable to have the sand and rubber components mixed together in a 70%rubber and 30% sand ratio by weight, with a sand particle sizedistribution of between 20 and 40 mesh and a rubber particle sizedistribution between 10 and 20 mesh. The outputs of rubber and sand,respectively, from the recalibration process at the desired size rangesare therefore measured and mixed with mixer 29 to the desired 70% to 30%ratio. At this point, the processing moves from two streams back to asingle stream. Alternatively, calibration and mixing may occur at thesame time, with hoppers 28 a and 28 b feeding into mixer 29. Asexplained below, in yet another alternative this step may not benecessary if the infill removed and the infill desired has a singlecomponent, such as an all rubber infill.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the eighth step is to clean and disinfectthe infill 69. The combined infill output from mixer 29 is cleaned anddisinfected in a rinse application with rinsing unit 30, shown in FIG.18. In this embodiment, the infill is first washed and then adisinfecting rinse is applied to provide a desired final product. Forexample, a conventional solution may be applied to protect frommicrobial contamination and odors or to provide long term controlagainst a broad spectrum of known bacteria, mold, fungi and algae.Preferably the antimicrobial solution provides continued, long-lastingprotection without leaching harsh chemicals or heavy metals into theenvironment and will not rub off or seep into the skin. A Turfaidedisinfectant rinsing solution by Coating Specialist Group may be used inthis embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the ninth step is to dry the infill 70. Theoutput from rinser 30 is dried using belt air dryer 31, shown in FIG.19. Heated air is circulated over the infill as it passes through dryer31 to evaporate moisture and dry the infill before it is discharged. ABDS belt drying system from Andritz may be used in this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 21, the processed infill is then bagged 80 forreuse using discharger 33, shown in FIG. 20. Discharger 33 is configuredto direct the processed infill either into super sacks that can beunloaded from trailer 16 through rear doors 35 b or directly into theback of a wagon for reuse 81 in an existing field in close proximity tomobile system 15. Discharger 33 is provided with multiple outputstreams. Accordingly, a single outlet or multiple outlets may be usedfor increased efficiency in the super sack loading process 80.Typically, the processed infill is placed in super sacks at a rate ofnot more than about 3,000 pounds per sack. The infill material mayeither be reapplied to the same field or it can be transported toanother location for incorporation into a different field. The BellojetZC automated bag loader by WamGroup may be used in this embodiment.

It should be noted that mobile system 15 may be used to process a usedinfill having a single component, such as an all rubber infill. In thisscenario, only the rubber processing stream is used and mixer 29 may bebypassed if not needed. In yet another alternative, a dual componentused infill may be processed to provide a single component infill. Forexample, if the used infill is a combination of rubber and sand and anall rubber infill is desired, after step three or step four the sand maybe removed from further processing and transported from trailer 16through door 35 a. Also, mixer 29 may be bypassed if not needed. In yetanother alternative, a single component used infill may be processedinto a dual component infill. For example, an all rubber used infill maybe processed through step 6 using the rubber processing stream and thenmixed in mixer 29 with a desired size and amount of new sand from analternative source. This new sand may be provided through door 35 a oralternative input ports in trailer 16.

As shown in FIG. 5, access space 52 is provided between the processingcomponents so that they can be maintained and repaired without having todisassemble the system. Ramp 53 to door 35 a may be used to conveymaterial or equipment into or out of trailer 16.

Depending on the desired level of automation, infill conveyance system19 is provided to move the infill from one processing component to thenext. Conveyance system 19 may include belts, rollers, skids, slides,chutes, augers, air moving systems and hoses. As shown in FIG. 8, inthis embodiment conveyance equipment 19 extends from used infill intake22, where the used infill is introduced into the mobile system, toinfill discharge 33, where the processed and recycled infill, typicallyrubber and sand, is output from the mobile system into super sacks orthe like. The conveyance equipment is configured to move the infillmaterial at the required speed for the processing components. In thisembodiment, conveyance between storage silo 42 and screen separator 23is provided with a pneumatic hose, conveyance between the outputs ofscreen separator 23 and destoners 24 a and 24 b is provided with augers,conveyance between destoners 24 a and 24 b and silo screens 25 a and 25b, respectively, is provided by augers, conveyance between silo screens25 a and 25 b and the inputs of screen separator 26 is provided byaugers, conveyance between the outputs of screen separator 26 and mixer29 is by conveyor belts, conveyance between mixer 29 and rinsing unit 30is by conveyor belt, conveyance between rinsing unit 30 and dryer 31 isby conveyor belt, and conveyance between dryer 31 and discharger 33 isby conveyor belt. The discharge is pneumatic and gravity fed into supersacks. Other means of conveyance may be used alternatively as desired.

Thus, infill may be extracted from a field and processed, in a 55 foottransport trailer hauled to a location adjacent or near to the site by atruck or tractor, to remove foreign debris, separate the variouscomponents of the infill, typically sand and rubber, recalibrate thecomponents to a desired size distribution, remix the components to adesired ratio, clean, sanitize and dry the processed infill, anddischarge the processed infill into waiting containers or wagons. Therecycled infill may then be redistributed to the existing field, in thecase of cleaning and maintenance of a field, or utilized in theinstallation of a new synthetic field, perhaps even at the samefacility.

The present invention contemplates that many changes and modificationsmay be made. Therefore, while the presently-preferred form of the mobileinfill reclamation system has been shown and described, and a number ofalternatives discussed, persons skilled in this art will readilyappreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined anddifferentiated by the following claims.

1-23. (canceled)
 24. A method of recycling infill comprising the stepsof: identifying an existing artificial turf surface having an infill;moving a mobile infill reclamation system to a position in relativelyclose proximity to said existing artificial turf surface; removing saidinfill from said artificial turf surface; conveying said removed infillto said mobile infill reclamation system; and processing said removedinfill using said mobile infill reclamation system.
 25. The method setforth in claim 24, wherein said step of processing said removed infillusing said mobile infill reclamation system comprises the steps of:separating foreign debris from said removed infill; separating acomponent of said removed infill material by size; adding a desiredinfill component to said removed infill material; rinsing said removedinfill material; and drying said removed infill material.
 26. The methodset forth in claim 25, wherein said step of processing said removedinfill using said mobile infill reclamation system further comprises thesteps of: separating different components of said used infill material;and mixing different components of said infill material to a desiredinfill component ratio.
 27. The method set forth in claim 25, andfurther comprising the step of discharging said processed infillmaterial from said mobile infill reclamation system.
 28. The method setforth in claim 27, wherein said processed infill material is dischargedinto a super sack or wagon.
 29. The method set forth in claim 25, andfurther comprising the step of applying said processed infill materialto said artificial turf surface.
 30. (canceled)